Never been to St. John and need advice

jpervall · Post by **jpervall** » Fri Aug 31, 2012 10:46 am

I will be traveling with my family as well as extended family next summer and we are looking to travel to St. John. We know nothing about the island and I am looking for an area that is beachfront but also close to childrens activities. I have been told to look at Great Cruz Bay given its proximity to the Westin and their children activities. There are so many bays...I don't even know where to start looking. Any advice???

PA Girl · Post by **PA Girl** » Fri Aug 31, 2012 11:03 am

Beachfront for accomodations? There are very few options. There is the Westin or Caneel.

If you are thinking of renting a villa, post your budget and "wish list" like pool, AC, etc. and you will receive tons of suggestions.

There are very few villas within walking distance to a sandy beach. Francis Bay Estate, managed by Catered To, have been on our wish list for the next large group trip. Terrahawk and Kallaloo are located right next to each other right above Gibney Beach, also managed by Catered To. There are a couple in Peter Bay that are close to the beach but having stayed there, the beach access is not great.

How old are the kids?

jpervall · Post by **jpervall** » Fri Aug 31, 2012 11:11 am

I didn't realize there weren't alot of options for beachfront properties. My thought was that the children could be down at the water and we could sit on our deck watching them.

The children are 14, 10, 7. There were a few villas in Great Cruz Bay like Splash and Gull Cottage that seemed to be very close to the water. I also heard that you can walk to the Westin and use their pools, childrens activities, beaches etc even if you aren't a registered guest. Not sure if that is accurate or not. Supposedly they have a big float out in the water for kids. Ideally, we need 2 villas but right next to each other. We have a family of 4, the in-laws and then another family of 3. I saw Tennis Villa and Tennis Cottage that might work. There is just so many options....I just didn't know where to start. If there is another part of the island, that has really great beaches but we need to drive to...I'm up for that too. I just don't know where those beaches are. Thanks for your advice!

stjchica · Post by **stjchica** » Fri Aug 31, 2012 11:27 am

Beachfront accomodations and lots of children's activities...doesn't really sound like STJ..Wondering if somewhere else might be a better fit? Not sure about the Westin. Maybe someone else will have that info for you...Have you looked into Atlantis in the Bahamas? Lots of stuff to occupy the kiddos...etc.

jpervall · Post by **jpervall** » Fri Aug 31, 2012 11:38 am

As I am looking at it more, I agree with you. The situation is that this trip is paying paid for by other family members and they love St. John. So, I don't have much say on which island we go to. However, I do have some input on where we stay on the island. I am not too worried about keeping the children occupied every second of the day. Just being at the beach will be wonderful for them. Do you have any recommendations of great beaches, even if we have to drive....great for snorkeling etc?

ski2play · Post by **ski2play** » Fri Aug 31, 2012 11:42 am

All of the beaches on ST John are top notch.

PA Girl · Post by **PA Girl** » Fri Aug 31, 2012 11:46 am

Most, if not all, of the beaches have great snorkelling right off the beach. The kids can rent water sports equipment at Cinnamon and Honeymoon.

mindehankins · Post by **mindehankins** » Fri Aug 31, 2012 12:40 pm

How lovely that someone loves you so much that they want to share time with you on St. John! I'll bet that your hosts will know of LOTS of great beaches and activities, but it's a great idea to do your own research as well, so you have an idea of what your vacation will be like.
You're found the right place to start your research. If you're looking for villa recommendations, you could try a post something like this: "Need a 2 bedroom and 3 bedroom villa close to each other, with AC in the bedrooms, and a pool for less than $XXX." You'll probably get knowledgeable responses.
If you're looking for general info on the island and how people vacation on it, you could get one of these books (available here on this site, I believe):
"Feet, Fins and Four Wheel Drive" by Pam Gaffin
"St. John: Off the Beaten Path" by Gerald Singer.
Another good idea is to do a search here, for "trip report," where you'll get some ideas, for sure.
Hope that helps!
Happy planning!

Post by **Anthony** » Fri Aug 31, 2012 1:17 pm

Yes you can find the books mentioned here: http://caribmart.com/usbritviris.html

Teresa_Rae · Post by **Teresa_Rae** » Fri Aug 31, 2012 2:06 pm

Yes, as others said, STJ is different and doesn't really have what you're looking for in a villa. The white sand beaches are within national park boundaries and thus villas don't exist...which is why many of us like STJ, but we know it's not for everyone.

Going to the beaches requires a drive, and sometimes a hike, depending on which beach we're talking about.

If you want to be on the beach, you really only have one option on STJ (there are two small villas):
http://gibneybeachvillas.com/

The website is confusing, it says they are on Hawknest, and while they may technically be part of Hawksnest Bay, the beach is Gibney/Oppenheimer. When people say Hawknest they mean Hawksnest Beach.

The Gibney Beach Cottages are small and pricey but might be just what you're looking for.

inuny · Post by **inuny** » Fri Aug 31, 2012 4:48 pm

A lot of villas don't rent if there are children under 8, so check the villa info carefully. Maybe the youngest is 7 now and will be 8 next summer.

Pulley · Post by **Pulley** » Fri Aug 31, 2012 4:50 pm

There are several homes on the beach at Great Cruz Bay, the same bay the Westin sits on, but the snorkeling is not great there. If your family member is paying for the home do you have much say? I rent a home every year and invite my brother and two other couples. I pick the house and they bring the food!

Seriously as others have said budget, size, AC, pool are all contributing factors when considering a house. Veridian Garden is as close to the Westin as you can get, has AC, a pool and is beach front and fairly inexpensive - $3,150 per week for 8 people in the off season. Or you could rent a new beach front villa on Great Cruz Bay, Casa Coram Deo, for $ 12,800 a week (up to 10 people) in the high season and $ 8,500 per week in low season. You will love STJ and if the kids like snorkeling they will be hooked too.

PL3 · Post by **PL3** » Fri Aug 31, 2012 5:13 pm

You might want to look at another USVI.

Plenty of private waterfront villas.

The Buccaneer seems to be very kid friendly, golf too...

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g1 ... lands.html

cocosmom · Post by **cocosmom** » Fri Aug 31, 2012 8:02 pm

Like everyone else has said, it is not a walk out your door to a beach island. We stayed at the Westin years ago for our first STJ trip ( before it was the Westin.) I would not even consider that a real STJ beach. The kids loved jumping in the jeep each day and riding the crazy roads. Every turn seemed to open to another gorgeous beach. We just parked and walked onto each beach...stay a bit and move to the next, they loved the adventure. You can stay at a chain hotel anywhere, STJ is not the place to do that and get what STJ is about. Rent villas with a pool, because the kids will love that deversion when you return from the beach each day. Give them fins and snorkels and they will be happy at any beach.

jimg20 · Post by **jimg20** » Fri Aug 31, 2012 9:48 pm

It is not clear to me how many bedrooms you will need, but there are several that have five or six bedrooms.

The others are right. The drive to the various beaches is also a part of the adventure. STJ is not a great place to look for structured children's activities. In fact, if you let them loose on a beach with snorkel gear, floating toys and other childhood implements of distruction, they will be occupied for hours. When they master snorkeling and see all those fish, you will not be able to get them out of the water until they are hypothermic. Take them back to the villa and feed them. Then they will sleep for 12 hours.

JIM

usvi-on-line